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Dear John,
Yesterday afternoon, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, our Policy Director, testified before Congress [[link removed]] during a House subcommittee hearing on presidential authority at the border. His testimony emphasizes the need for Congress to overhaul the asylum system, expand and create new alternate legal pathways to come to the United States and support local communities. Rather than focusing only on temporary stop-gap measures intended to deter people from coming to the border, Congress needs to address the longstanding shortfalls of the system and build durable solutions.
Over the last 20 years, the United States has poured over $200 billion dollars into immigration enforcement, compared to under $9 billion for immigration courts. We need to fix this mismatch and build a modern humanitarian protection system that is fair, flexible, robust, and unlocks the powerful benefits brought by immigrants of all stripes.
Watch the Testimony [[link removed]]
The testimony explains:
The last time Congress made any major changes to the asylum process was in 1996. Our country is overdue for new policies.
The need for a faster way for immigrants to access work authorization so that they can join the workforce and support themselves quickly.
The ways in which our 20th century asylum system acts as a barrier to migrant self-sufficiency.
Mismatched spending priorities, which neglect immigration adjudication in favor of immigration enforcement, have created extensive backlogs.
The limitations of presidential authority to block people from seeking asylum at the southern border.
The testimony concludes that Congress has the power to change the situation at the border by updating our immigration laws and providing the necessary resources to fund a modern humanitarian protection system.
We encourage you to read our recent blueprint for solutions at the border: “ Beyond A Border Solution: How to Build a Humanitarian Protection System That Won’t Break [[link removed]] ,” which includes 13 recommendations for the administration and Congress.
We look forward to continuing to provide research and educate Congress on this important matter.
​​​​​Sincerely,
Jeremy Robbins
Executive Director
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